I have a star named Gremhog in the lovely galaxy. This blog will be dedicated to the stars in my life...the ones known and the ones yet to be discovered.

Friday, January 09, 2015

Uncle Johnny's Funeral-January 5

On December 31 I picked up Patsy and took her to the funeral home and the cemetery, both on Crown Hill Cemetery in Twinsburg. It took about 4 hours but luckily Patsy and Johnny had preplanned and prepaid.. It made it all so much easier but when dealing with death, it's always a long and sad process. In the end Patsy only had to pay an additional $214 which is amazing.

Monday morning dawned cold and blustery but no snow. Robert and I left at 7:30 to pick up Patsy so we could have her to the funeral home by 9:30, a half hour before the start of the viewing. As it was there were already people present. Robert told the one woman there that she would need to set up more chairs..and set up chairs she did...nonstop. The room was filled and people stood at the back. It was quite a tribute to a man for his service to humanity. At 94 most of his own age friends had already passed on. The Lake County Society for Rehabilitation, where he and Patsy volunteered/served for so many decades, was closed in his honor as well as to allow the workers to attend.

The little card you always get at funerals did not have the standard Psalm or Prayer on it. When it was discussed I told Patsy to put something on the card that would remind people of Johnny. We agreed a joke would be perfect. Johnny always asked children, "What's your name?" They'd tell him and he's say (and this is what was written), "That's not your name...It's Toe (pointing to the toe), Knee (pointing to the knee), Chest (pointing to the chest), and then Nut (pointing to the head). Tony Chestnut! Everyone did remember that joke, especially my grandkids who had most recently heard it.

The funeral was lead by a priest but not Johnny's own priest who was very ill. It was Catholic but not warm and inviting. We filed out to the cemetery and it was SO COLD! We had a buffet lunch at D'Angelos in Twinsburg and it was excellent. Patsy had planned for 60 but there were a lot more than 60 who came and Patsy enjoyed seeing her friends and family.

Christensens returned home after the buffet. Trefethens went home and then came back to our house for another evening with Cara.

We were happy to have a picture taken with Patsy and then one with just us.

After the last guest left the restaurant we took Patsy home, took down the Christmas decorations that Johnny had put up high. For Patsy to take down, she would have had to get up on a stool which would have been disastrous. We left her to face her new life. It's not going to be happy and certainly lonely times. I've called many of her friends and people who I met at the funeral to check on her and they've done a good job doing this in the past week.

I cannot imagine a life without Robert. So I just fear that Patsy will rile herself up and lead to her death! She's so ready to get all this stuff done in a hurry and none of these things can be done in a hurry. It all takes time.

The next morning, the world was filled with ice and snow. I went with Dawn when she drove Cara and the boys to the airport. The going was slow but I was grateful that Dawn drove with her heavier car. Then we came home and napped for another 3 hours and then Dawn returned home to Michigan.

It is such an odd feeling to know that Johnny is no longer on this earth, where I can get to him. I know we are going to die. It's just odd. That's all I can say. I feel happy that he is reunited with Jeffrey but........ It's the one part of the Plan of Happiness that does not make me happy. I just wish to email my loved ones. Is that not just the most stupid feeling? I know it is but it's how I feel.